It's funny that when I googled "mold on sourdough starter", I thought all the photos were just plain disgusting. But when it comes to my own sourdough - "eh, maybe it's normal".. I actually kept it for a few hours, smelling it constantly... But the mold won't go away..

Everything is really clean before starting. Go for high hydration atleast till the starter becomes viable. For the first few feeds use pure pineapple juice after which switch to water which has been boiled and cooled. Include some wholegrain in the feeds.

Yes I think I am going to boil the water now, sterilize a jar. Maybe my water and bowl weren't the cleanest.. even though I saw some people use regular water and unsterilized containers - but if it doesn't work, then it doesn't work.

It will test your patience but persevere. It might take a week or two.

If there is a bakery near you that sells sourdough bread try asking them for a bit of starter or ask a friend if they bake with sourdough. You can then start baking while you're making your own starter.

Of course you might think there would be no need to make a starter but there's nothing like making one from scratch you can call your own. Plus everyone's starter will have its own characteristics.

Of course, it should be clean but I suspect that just washing it really well with soapy water and then rinsing it will be enough.

I just recently created a wheat starter by following Jane Mason's method outlined in her book "All You Knead is Bread". As Mason suggested, it really did take just five days. I used only 100% whole wheat "no additives" flour and filtered tap water. The starter works brilliantly.

I love what Mason says about cleanliness:

Day Five You starter should be bubbly. Congratulations! If your starter is not bubbly by the morning of Day Five, don’t add any more flour, just cover it and let it sit for another 24 hours. If nothing has happened by then, your house could be too clean. Seriously! Stop using bleach or other antiseptic sprays on every surface. Revert to hot, soapy water to clean surfaces. You need germs and so does your sourdough!

-Jane Mason, All You Knead is Bread, p95

Still, like you, I'd be pretty worried about mold growing on the starter....

-Elizabeth

(Here is my take on how to make Jane Mason's natural wheat starter in 5 days: Jane Mason starter recipe. She suggests refrigerating it once it has started to bubble like a fiend. Our starter is now in the fridge - in a Mason jar, of course - and when I use it, I pull out a small amount, feed it with equal parts by weight of flour and water to refresh it. It takes 8-12 hours for it to recharge.)

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